Short Summary

Near Saigon the local horse racing track has re-opened after being closed since the communist Easter Offensive last April.

Description

Near Saigon the local horse racing track has re-opened after being closed since the communist Easter Offensive last April.

It's not the first time the Phu Tho track has been closed and re-opened because of the war.

In 1968 it closed when North Vietnamese forces clashed with Saigon troops on the course itself. On that occasion the track stayed closed for ten months, even though it was recaptured by US troops within a week. President Thieu banned horse racing, together with most other entertainments, on the grounds that they were security risks and inappropriate while soldiers were dying on the battlefields.

Now, although fighting continues in Vietnam, the course has been re-opened and the punters have turned out in force, even though Saigon races are notorious for being rigged.